A Mother's Love
by Shakespeare's Muse
Summary: Companion piece to my fic Things Change. When Jody and Charlie are given a letter by their mother's solicitor after her death, they have no idea that it will reveal a secret that she kept from them for over 35 years...


A Mother's Love

Disclaimer: I only own what you don't recognise. I'm not making any money out of this; I'm only enjoying myself. So don't sue me.

~*~

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming   
Or the moment of truth in your lies   
When everything feels like the movies   
And you bleed just to know you're alive_

_Iris_ by the Goo Goo Dolls 

-

Jody drew aside the drapes with a hard tug, smiling a little as sunlight flooded the previously dark and gloomy room.

"That's better," she murmured to herself, opening the window to clear the air of dust. She moved over to the other windows, opening the curtain and letting the sun reach in until the whole room was filled with light and warm summer air.

Smiling, Jody surveyed her work for a moment before sitting down at the bare wooden table in the middle of the floor, the only piece of furniture in the room apart from the chairs that went with it.

She sat there alone for a few minutes, fiddling absently with the silver Udjat necklace around her neck, thinking over the memories that accompanied the almost empty dining room; memories of childhood, and happy times spent with her parents. With her mother…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the dining room door opening and she turned, standing when she saw her brother Charlie walk in, the solicitor behind him.

"Good morning Mr Mickson," she greeted him, shaking his hand and gesturing for him to sit. He did so, smiling briefly and setting his briefcase down on the table.

"Good morning Ms. Thompson, Mr Walker," he replied, greeting Jody by her married name. She gritted her teeth slightly in annoyance; it would be a relief when her divorce came through and she could go back to being Jody Walker again. But no matter now – they weren't here to discuss that.

"Now, about the will," Mr Mickson continued, opening his briefcase and pulling out some documents. "I know we have covered most of the usual legal material – money, property, etc. – but there is one last thing that has been included that you need to see"

From the documents on the table, he withdrew an envelope, the surface completely blank. Charlie and Jody looked at it with mild confusion, unable to think what it might be.

"Now, where did I put it? Ah, here," Mr Mickson went on, pulling a folded piece of paper from somewhere within his briefcase. He unfolded it ad scanned it quickly, before going back to the top and beginning to read it allowed.

"Enclosed within this envelope may be found a letter addressed to Ms. Jody Walker and Mr. Charlie Walker from their mother, Mrs Virginia Walker. It is to be opened in the event of the death of Mrs Virginia Walker and read by the aforementioned Ms. And Mr. Walker. They are to be alone at the reading. These are the expressed wishes of the client and must be adhered to exactly," he finished, looking at Jody and Charlie over the top of his spectacles. He handed the envelope to them silently before rising and preparing to leave.

"I can show myself out," he said to them with a small smile, closing his briefcase and nodding at them in a gesture of goodbye. Jody and Charlie smiled briefly, more occupied with the letter at that present moment than anything else.

"Do you want to open it or shall I?" Charlie asked as the muted 'click' of the door closing told them that they were now alone.

Jody shrugged, turning the envelope over and over in her hands. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, hesitant to see what it contained but yet at the same time eager to know what it said.

"You can," she said finally, handing it to Charlie. "I don't know if I want to hear what it says"

"Well," Charlie replied, running a hand through his thick black hair, "If mum wanted us to read it, then I'm going to read it no matter what it says. She went to all that trouble to keep it safe for us, so it must have meant something to her"

"You're right I suppose," Jody conceded, watching as Charlie tore it open. Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach as he pulled out several pieces of musty parchment secured together; what would it say?

"Shall I read it out?" Charlie asked. Jody just nodded in reply, feeling too nervous to speak.

"_Dear Jody and Charlie_," he began, "_Well, it must be quite a surprise for you two to see this letter in your hands…_

***

"…And I hope you don't mind that I haven't told you about it; there are just some things mothers have to keep secret" Ginny read to herself, looking at the few scarce lines she had written on the crisp new parchment. She tapped her quill against her lips, trying to think of what to put next – she'd had no idea that writing this would be so damned difficult. This would have to be the third or fourth time that she had started the same letter, having screwed up all her previous attempts and thrown them in the bin.

Sighing gloomily, she put the quill down, yawning a little as she looked out over the garden from the window of the study. It was a hot summer's day in July, and the sun shone brightly in the garden, looking rather appealing.

Deciding that perhaps she would find more inspiration outside, Ginny grabbed the letter, her ink pot and quill and made her way out of the study and down the stairs, and she would have carried on straight into the garden had she not seen the photographs on the mantelpiece in the lounge. She paused for a moment, smiling to herself as she walked over to the photos displayed in their various frames. They were mostly of Jody and Charlie, with a few of her and Thom and the rest of their families scattered here and there.

Picking up her favourite from the shelf, she studied the little moving image fondly, gently touching the glass over her own joyful face. It was a picture of her, Thom, Jody and Charlie at the hospital the day after Charlie had been born, the tiny baby wrapped up in a blanket in Ginny's arms as she lay in bed at the hospital. A three year old Jody sat on the bed next to her mother, looking down at the baby in awe, whilst Thom sat in the chair next to the bed, beaming with pride. They waved happily up at Ginny as she looked at the photograph, and the Ginny in the picture laughed happily, kissing the top of Charlie's tiny head.

_No wonder it's my favourite picture_, she thought to herself, her hand reaching up unconsciously to the little silver Udjat around her neck. _We all look so happy there…_

Smiling, she put the picture back on the mantelpiece, turning and proceeding outside to the garden. It was comfortably warm outside, the summer breeze cooling what would have been a blisteringly hot day otherwise. Sitting in the swing seat, the branches of several apple blossoms shading her from the scorching sun, Ginny speedily conjured a table with a quick swish of her wand, resting the inkpot and quill on it. The parchment she put on her lap, an old copy of Witch Weekly that she had found on the swing seat under it. She dipped the quill in the inkpot, thinking for a second before beginning to write, her neat cursive looping across the page.

Ginny didn't know how long she had been writing for when she felt Charlie tug on her arm, but it couldn't have been long, judging by the length of what she had already put down on the page. Hastily putting the letter on the table and moving it out of the way of Charlie's eyes, she smiled down at him and picked him, placing him in her lap. He smiled up at her, proudly showing off his missing tooth.

"Mummy, where's Daddy gone?" he asked, snuggling into her as she put her arm around him. Absently he grabbed a strand of Ginny's wavy hair, studying the copper strands.

"Daddy's gone to see Aunty Mara," Ginny told him, "Uncle Johnny and him are going to put up the crib for the new baby, remember?"

"Did Daddy put up my crib when I was a baby?" Charlie asked, looking up at Ginny with his large eyes. They were an odd colour, a very light brown (almost translucent) with flecks of grey – a mixture of Ginny's and Thom's.

"Yes," she replied, kissing the end of his nose affectionately. "Daddy insisted on buying a new one just for you, and he put it up as soon as he got it home. He spent hours decorating your nursery; he wanted to have it just right for his little Quidditch star in the making"

"Really?"

"Really"

"Did he do the same for Jody?" Charlie asked again, sitting up to get a better view of his mother's face.

"My my, we are full of questions today, aren't we?" Ginny declared teasingly. "But yes, he did exactly the same for Jody. Where is your sister by the way?" Ginny added, wondering suddenly where Jody had got to.

"I'm he-re!" came the reply as she skipped across the lawn towards her mother and brother. She clambered up onto the swing seat, sitting at the opposite end so she was facing Charlie and Ginny. "What are you talking about Mum?"

"Oh, I'm just telling Charlie about when you two were babies," she replied, "Charlie wanted to know if Daddy put up your cradles himself"

"Did Dad do lots of things like that when we were babies?" Jody asked, looking interested. Ginny nodded.

"Oh, lots and lots of things. He decorated most of the nursery – once I got a bump he wouldn't let me do anything. What else did he do? Um…he bought mountains of toys, all sorts of little Quidditchy things for babies. Him and his friends went and bought loads—"

"Mum, was Draco Malfoy one of Dad's friends?"

Ginny froze, eyes widening in shock at the mention of the name. Quickly she looked to see if somehow either of the children had seen the letter, but both were absolutely oblivious to the mountain of information that lay just a few feet from them.

"Where did you hear that name Jody?" she asked, looking at her in surprise.

"I found a really old newspaper the other day and it was all about a person called Draco Malfoy," she replied simply, nestle down in the swing seat. "It said he died"

Ginny paused for a moment, looking at her daughter with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Sure, she was writing the letter for them, but they wouldn't be reading that for years (God willing). She didn't want to have to lie to them, but if any awkward questions came up…

"No," she replied at last, thinking it best to just answer her daughter, "They weren't friends"

"Who was he then?" Jody asked, "Was he your friend?"

Ginny almost smiled at the inquisitiveness of her daughter. At seven, Jody was already asking questions about what Hogwarts would be like, even though she had another four years before she would be going herself.

"Well," Ginny answered, trying to think of some way to get round the question, "No, he wasn't a friend of mine either"

Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. They had never been _friends_; just enemies and then lovers.

"Why do you have a newspaper about him?"

It was Charlie asking this time, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

"Our family knew _of_ him. We went to school together and he was in the same year as Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry and everyone. He didn't get on particularly well with them, especially with Aunt Hermione"

"Oh," Charlie replied, a little confusion on his young face as he leant back against Ginny. He had a little trouble sometimes with threads of conversation, not unusual for a four year old. "So he was nobody's friend?"

"Yes" Ginny replied, nodding, not wanting to confuse him by telling him of Pansy and Blaise and the other Slytherins he had known.

"Mummy?"

"Yes?"

"What's for dinner?"

Ginny nearly laughed at her son's sudden change of direction; however, she was still glad to get away from the subject of Draco. That could wait for another however many years until they read the letter.

"Well, it depends what's in the fridge – we've got chips, ham, salad…"

---

Ginny finished putting the last kiss at the bottom of the letter with a slight flourish and leant back, heaving a relieved sigh. It was dark now, and both the children were in bed, asleep for at least an hour or two by now. Ginny was alone in the study with an almost empty pot of ink and her memories.

After waving the last piece of parchment in the air slightly to dry it off, she looked at what she had written on the last piece of paper, murmuring to herself as she read it through.

"Please don't think that I don't love your father – I do. I have loved him ever since I can remember knowing him, and I always will. The love I had – no, still have – for Draco was different. I don't know how, but I just know that I never have and never will love someone that way again…"

~*~

"…_I do not want you two to think ill of me. You are my children, and I love you both more than life itself, but I want you to understand – I couldn't have kept this from you even if I'd wanted to, but your father never knew (I don't think he would have managed if he had) and so I can't tell you whilst he is still alive. By the time that you're are reading this we will both be long gone, and so I live safe in the knowledge that your father will never think that just for one moment I didn't love him – I always have._

_Now that I have explained this to you, please don't be angry with me. I will admit that some of the decisions I took at the time were wrong, but in a way I'm glad that things happened the way that they did. If not you may not have been born, and that idea fills me with horror. You are both my babies, and you still will be even when you're all grown up._

_Remember, I love you both, and I love your father, but at one time I loved someone else too. Please try to understand that I didn't just have a 'fling'. I will never be able to describe to you the feelings that I had for him. But perhaps one day, when you've both fallen in love and have children of your own, you'll understand me._

_I love you both forever,_

_Mum xxx_"

Charlie put the letter down on the table and leant back in his chair, his eyes on his sister's face. They looked at each other with shock, both stunned by the contents of the letter.

"Oh my god…" Jody murmured to herself, her voice filled with surprise and a little hurt. "I can't believe it…I never would have thought…"

"At least we know now," Charlie replied, "Although I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing…"

"I have no idea to be honest," Jody answered, pulling the letter towards her and flicking through it again, "I'm just a little shocked. It's so weird to think that Mum kept such a big secret from us for so many years. And she never told Dad"

"But she was right though. You know how much Dad loved Mum. It would have cut him up inside. I know if Julie ever did that to me…"

"But that's different, isn't it?" Jody countered. "I'm not saying what Mum did was right" she added, seeing Charlie expression, "But they were teenagers for goodness sake. She was _fifteen_. You were a lot worse than that when _you_ were fifteen"

"I suppose," Charlie answered, "And she did love him. I'm just weirded out by the idea, that's all. I mean, we know how much Mum's family hated the Malfoys – and yet, she fell in love with one"

"I think the weirdest thing is knowing that he loved her" Jody said, and Charlie nodded in agreement. "We've both heard about the things he said and did to our family. I just…somehow—"

She was cut short by Charlie's mobile phone ringing (he had married a muggle who insisted on him carrying one around "for emergencies") and he flipped it open, taking the call.

"Hello?…Oh, hi Julie…you're outside?…Okay…Yeah, we'll be down in a minute…you too…yeah…bye"

He flipped the phone closed and stood up. "They're outside," he told her, handing Jody the envelope as she stood up and began to fold the letter. "Julie said she picked up Grace and Michael for you like you asked and they're in the car"

"Okay," Jody replied, taking one last look at the letter before slipping it into the envelope and placing it in her bag. She looked up at her brother with sombre eyes, and reached out for his hand, grasping onto it and squeezing it slightly. He squeezed it back, and then after a moment's pause, enveloped his sister in a hug, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him back, wondering briefly how many years her little brother had been taller than her. She was grateful for the embrace, knowing somehow that she and brother were all the proof they needed that their parents had loved each other.

Separating from their embrace, Jody smiled up at Charlie and squeezed his hand once more.

"Shall we go then?" she asked, and Charlie nodded, heading towards the door. Opening it, he turned to call Jody, who stood in the middle of the room, staring around at the bare walls and the dust that still swirled in the rays of sun.

"Are you okay Jody?" he asked, and she turned, nodding slightly.

"I'm fine," she replied, "Just feeling a little… odd, I suppose. We grew up in this house, and now…I'm coming back here Charlie, I'm going to live here again, and my children are going to grow up here too. It's a strange feeling, that's all"

"Don't worry Jo," Charlie replied as she joined him in the hallway. He closed the door behind them before following her downstairs to the hall. "It's wonderful. You know how happy we always were here. Grace and Michael will be just as content"

"I know," Jody replied, throwing her coat over her arm and opening the front door for Charlie, who stepped into the front garden. He waved to his wife and children in the car, closing and locking the front door behind him and his sister. It was a hot summer's day in July, and the sun shone brightly in the garden; and somehow both Jody and Charlie knew, as they got into the car and drove away from their childhood home, that their mother was watching.

And that she was smiling too.

~*~

A/N This is just a little companion piece to Things Change that I had the idea for one morning. As I said, I'm not doing a sequel, this was just a little one-shot piece that I thought would be nice to write, for myself as well as anyone who read Things Change and was disappointed there wasn't more. I hope you liked it – it's obviously not got quite the same mood as Things Change, except maybe for the last chapter, but I like it and I hope you did too.

Please review, especially if you've read Things Change and you liked it, as it would mean a lot. 

xSMx


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